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Review

The Cross Stitcher's Bible

Nancy JirtleMartha Schmidt's blended fibres in this month's feature project led CyberFibres to search for a basic guide to cross stitching that would be broad enough to include mention of the blending of fibres. Such a book is The Cross Stitcher's Bible, by Jane Greenoff of England. This portable handbook is quite comprehensive without being daunting.

The Cross Stitcher's Bible begins with a section on Getting Started, followed by Creative Options and Exploring Choices. The use of blending filaments, metallic threads, flower threads, and space-dyed threads is discussed in the Creative Options section.

A novice cross stitcher will be encouraged by the clarity of Ms. Greenoff's descriptions of stitches, while an experienced cross stitcher will appreciate the Motif Library that follows the Stitch Library section. The book concludes with an explanation of Finishing Techniques. Ms. Greenoff provides an index of topics at the back of the book in addition to the Table of Contents in the front of the book. This is greatly appreciated by fibreworkers who want to find information quickly in order to return to their fibre projects.

Excellent photographs of worked stitches and cross stitch projects complement Ms. Greenoff's narrative throughout her fine book. It is a tribute to the author that The Cross Stitcher's Bible offers its readers two different things: the mastery of cross stitch techniques and the challenge to be individually creative in choosing how to combine these techniques. CyberFibres considers this to be a book worth buying